Tasty beers on tap for Silicon Valley Beer Week

The local region will be a "hoppening" place during the 2nd Annual Silicon Valley Beer Week (SVBW), which starts today and runs to Aug. 2.

Beer fans will have plenty of daily opportunities to enjoy good beer, including the following sampling of options:

FRIDAY, JULY 25

The only event taking place today is the SVBW Kickoff event from 6-9pm at downtown San Jose's Blackbird Tavern. Chefs Dawn Smith (Blackbird Tavern) and Luis Silva (Naglee Park Garage) have prepared a beer-inspired menu to pair with specialty beers. A "Z Pass" ticket is required for this event (the same "Z Pass" is also good for the culminating KraftBrew Beer Fest on Aug. 2). Special beers include Bruery Smoking Wood (Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Smoked Beer), Echt Kriekenbier (Belgian Cherry Sour), Straffe Hendrik Wild (Belgian Pale with Brettanomyces), Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Weisse (Traditional German Sour Wheat), Allagash Confluence and more. More info.

SATURDAY, JULY 26

It has been an exciting time for downtown San Jose's Original Gravity Public House. Their recent two-year anniversary celebration coincided with the unveiling of their finished expansion project. Original Gravity's first SVBW event is "Pucker Up! Sour Fest 4.0" and features 15 national and international sour and wild ales. The lineup includes:

Sour Fest is a popular Original Gravity event for sour beer fans and also provides a good opportunity for those curious about the "fruit, funk and tart" characteristics of sour beers to try them out. More info.

Kegs will be tapped at 5pm and pour until the beer runs out. More info.

Downtown Campbell's Spread Deli & Bottles hosts Six River Float Night with their neighbors, Snake and Butterfly Chocolates from 5pm-8pm. More info.

TUESDAY, JULY 29

Downtown San Jose's Good Karma Vegan Cafe hosts a dinner and tap takeover featuring The Bruery. A private paired dinner takes place from 5pm-6pm. Good Karma then opens to the public at 6pm with 19 beers on tap, including Grey Monday, Berazzled, The Wanderer, Tequila Barrel Aged Sucre and more. More info.

Santa Teresa Golf Club and Lagunitas team up to present the final Santa Teresa Summer Beer Talk on the Bar and Grill Patio. “Lagunitas Bloopers” takes place from 5:30pm-6:30pm and will be a discussion on how brewing mistakes can lead to brewing success. There will be beer tasting and happy hour prices on Lagunitas beers. For only $5 you will get to taste beers and participate in a discussion hosted by Lagunitas. More info.

The prix fixe dinner is available for $75 per person with seating times available from 5:30pm-9pm. Reservations can be made by emailing brittany@steinsbeergarden.com or calling 650-386-1367. More info.

THURSDAY, JULY 31

The Farmers Union in downtown San Jose's San Pedro Square will host Flights and Bites featuring beers from Stone Brewing Company. Executive chef Alex Jimenez will present six dishes paired with Stone beers starting at 6:30pm. The following is the beer-and-food pairing menu.

On hand will be Stone's craft beer ambassador "Dr." Bill Sysak. More info.

Harry's Hofbrau in San Jose is the host of the 2nd Annual California Craft Beer Throw down featuring Double IPAs. Last year's winning Double IPA came from Heretic Brewing Company, and owner/brewer Jamil Zainasheff will be in attendance to defend his title against the offerings of Stone, Firestone Walker, Lagunitas, Altamont, 21st Amendment, Knee Deep and others. More info.

FRIDAY, AUG. 1

The last SVBW event for Harry's Hofbrau San Jose is a good one, featuring the nearly divine offerings from Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, including:

Deliverance '13

Agave Maria

Older Viscosity '12

Old Viscosity '13

Red Poppy

Santas lil Helper '12

Cuvee De Tomme '13

Angels Share Grand Cru

Track #8

Spontaneous Cheer

Framboise De Amerosa

Liquid Bread Gastropub hosts their 2nd Annual Ice Cream Social with Lagunitas Brewing Company from 3pm-5pm.

Only $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Serving sizes: all beers are 4 oz pours and cheeses between 1/2 to 3/4 oz. portions. More info.

SATURDAY, AUG. 2

The popular KraftBrew Beer Fest is the culminating SVBW event and takes place at Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in San Jose's Japantown. "This year’s festivities feature 60+ American craft, Belgian and German imports, home brews, a beer launch booth releasing a special or unique brew for tasting every hour, craft beer panel discussions, brewery tours, and lots of great food!" More info.

At last count, there were over 150 events listed on the SV Beer Week website, giving beer fans and those new to the world of beer a serious case of a first world problem - too many beer choices.

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A San Jose native, family guy, college instructor and health nut, Andy Lee writes about the beer scene in San Jose and the greater Silicon Valley for Examiner.com, SanJose.com and TheSanJoseBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GratefulHubby and email him at gratefulhubby@gmail.com.